Author ORCID Identifier
Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
Department
Forest Resource Management
Committee Chair
Jamie Schuler
Committee Co-Chair
Shawn Grushecky
Committee Member
Eric Hileman
Abstract
Invasive plants are a growing concern for land managers, impacting ecosystem resilience and outcompeting native vegetation. To combat this, invasive plant control treatments can assist in reducing the impacts and spread of damaging, non-native plant species. However, intensive treatments completed at large scales have the potential to negatively impact ecosystem services as well. To monitor these impacts, I utilized a well-known indicator in the Central Applachian region, Plethodontid salamanders, to assess impacts of invasive plant control treatments in the Central Hardwood forests. I completed 12 visual samples across 60 sites in West Virginia, USA during Spring and Fall of 2025 (720 sampling occasions) on state lands that received invasive plant control treatment during the previous summer. I also collected habitat metrics to observe impacts of invasive plant presence on Plethodontid salamander occupancy. Using a single-species, single-season occupancy model, I identified important predictors of salamander occupancy across landscapes managed for invasive plants. I found significantly reduced odds of salamander occupancy on sites that received invasive plant control treatments. Canopy cover was also a significant predictor of occupancy, with greater canopy cover increasing odds of occupancy. The inclusion of invasive plant ground cover in the occupancy model was uninformative, which is consistent the inconclusive relationship between adult, terrestrial salamanders and invasive plants in previous studies. Overall, my results support findings of recent studies, including that invasive plant control treatments have unintended, negative impacts on Plethodontid salamanders and their associated ecosystem services.
Recommended Citation
Dieterich, Maree Guinevere, "Utilizing Plethodontid Occupancy to Assess Initial Ecosystem Responses to Invasive Plant Control Treatment in the Central Hardwoods" (2026). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 13335.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/13335